Parasite

Flag:	Parasite
File(s):	rules(md).ini
Values:	Boolean values: yes or no, true or false, 1 or 0
Default:	no
Applicable to:	Warheads

Specifies whether or not the firer themselves will physically enter the target on warhead impact, to cause its effects from within. This effect is used on the Terror Drone in conjunction with LimboLaunch=yes ("become the bullet") to give the appearance of the Drone jumping inside a vehicle and dismantling it from the inside.

Parasites are, of course, protected whilst they are inside a target as they cannot be hit by conventional weapons (their 'host' is hit instead). However, Sonic=yes weapons will evict a parasite from its target. Repair Depots and Repair IFVs will instantly eliminate any parasite contained within the vehicle being repaired.

Setting Parasite=yes will make the infested target rock and produce sparks, even if Rocker=no is set (however if you set Rocker=yes then the weapon damage will be dealt with each rock of the target rather than over time).

If the parasite destroys the target then it will emerge, unscathed, however if the target is destroyed by another weapon whilst the parasite is inside then the parasite will be destroyed as well (so it may be in the interest of the target's owner to destroy the target themselves if they cannot get it repaired in time, to avoid the parasite infesting further units).

Units with Parasiteable=no set cannot be targetted by warheads with Parasite=yes set.

Friendly units cannot be attacked by parasites (even using force-fire) unless the warhead also has AffectsAllies=yes set.

Warheads that also have MindControl=yes set will indeed mind-control the target instead of dealing damage, thus giving the appearance of a hijacker. The target will not take damage from the weapon, nor will it rock or produce sparks. Further more, the parasite can never be evicted (not even by Sonic weapons, Repair Depots or Repair IFVs). As a result of this, the parasite will not be recoverable - the parasite will always be destroyed along with the target. As the target is mind-controlled it cannot be re-mind-controlled by another unit (parasite or otherwise), except for permanent mind-control using the Psychic Dominator.

Bugs/Side-Effects/Unexpected Limitations

• If a parasite destroys an airborne unit then the parasite will appear, unscathed, on the ground beneath the parasite.
• There is a graphical glitch with mind-controller parasites, in that the mind-control link is drawn between the target and the position the parasite was at just before it entered the unit. This can be overcome in Ares by using MindControl.Permanent=yes.

See also

• LimboLaunch
• SuppressionThreshold
• MindControl